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en-usSun, 18 Feb 2018 00:54:13 -0500Sun, 18 Feb 2018 00:54:13 -0500The latest news on Advertisements from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-bans-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-ico-ads-2018-1Facebook is banning all ads for bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and ICOs (FB)http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-bans-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-ico-ads-2018-1
Tue, 30 Jan 2018 15:05:11 -0500Rob Price
<p><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5a70cd007e7a353a0f8b4939-1457/gettyimages-669889778.jpg" alt="facebook ceo mark zuckerberg" data-mce-source="Justin Sullivan/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the keynote address at Facebook's F8 Developer Conference on April 18, 2017 at McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California." /></p><p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Facebook is banning all ads related to cryptocurrencies, from ICOs to bitcoin.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The social network says the ban, which includes both Facebook and Instagram, is to crack down on scams.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Cryptocurrencies are "frequently associated with misleading or deceptive practices," it said.</strong></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><br />Cryptocurrencies are a Wild West of sorts &mdash; and Facebook has had enough.</p>
<p>The social network is banning all ads related to bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and ICOs, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/news/new-ads-policy-improving-integrity-and-security-of-financial-product-and-services-ads">it announced on Tuesday, as it attempts to crack down on scams and fraud</a>.</p>
<p>The new rule "prohibits financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency."&nbsp;</p>
<p>It's a far-reaching policy, and Facebook describes it as "intentionally broad."&nbsp;</p>
<p>(For the uninitiated, initial coin offerings, or ICOs, are a largely unregulated method for company fundraising that involves selling investors cryptographic assets, in a similar vein to an IPO.)</p>
<p>Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are insanely hot right now &mdash; but the space is also riddled with scams, fraud, and other risks.</p>
<p>This week, <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/sec-shuts-down-arise-bank-600-million-alleged-ico-scam-dallas-texas-2018-1-1014571716">the SEC shut down one allegedly fraudulent ICO that claimed to have raised $600 million</a>, and it's not uncommon for exchanges <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/29/technology/coincheck-cryptocurrency-exchange-hack-japan/index.html">to lose hundreds of millions of dollars worth of customer funds in apparent hacks</a>.</p>
<p>A Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider that the new rule bans <em>all</em> ads related to cryptocurrencies &mdash; not just those directly trying to sell cryptocurrencies or cryptographic tokens. So ads for Bitcoin wallets are also banned, for example, as are ones for Ethereum-mining hardware.</p>
<p>In a blog post announcing the news, Facebook product management director Rob Leathern suggested Facebook may tweak the policy at some point in the future to let legitimate crypto-related businesses advertise again.</p>
<p>"We want people to continue to discover and learn about new products and services through Facebook ads without fear of scams or deception," he wrote. "That said, there are many companies who are advertising binary options, ICOs and cryptocurrencies that are not currently operating in good faith."</p>
<p>"This policy is intentionally broad while we work to better detect deceptive and misleading advertising practices, and enforcement will begin to ramp up across our platforms including Facebook, Audience Network and Instagram. We will revisit this policy and how we enforce it as our signals improve."</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-bans-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-ico-ads-2018-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-arts-culture-app-matches-selfie-famous-portraits-2018-1">People are obsessed with this Google app that finds your fine art doppelgänger</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-whats-a-computer-ad-sparks-anger-2018-1Apple is running an ad where a kid asks, 'What's a computer?' — and people find it infuriatinghttp://www.businessinsider.com/apple-whats-a-computer-ad-sparks-anger-2018-1
Wed, 24 Jan 2018 10:39:36 -0500Dennis Green
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5a689cb300d0efa6028b4eda-1056/screen%20shot%202018-01-24%20at%2094655%20am.png" alt="Apple iPad Pro commercial" data-mce-source="YouTube/Apple" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQB2NjhJHvY"></p><p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/AAPL-Quote">Apple</a> is running a commercial in which a kid with an iPad asks, "What's a computer?"</strong></li>
<li><strong>The ad is meant to portray a world where computers no longer exist — and kids don't know what they are.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Many who have watched the ad say it rubs them the wrong way.</strong></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p><br>Apple's new commercial showing off the multitasking prowess of the iPad Pro and iOS 11 is rubbing some people the wrong way.</p>
<p>The ad shows a kid, age unknown, retiring to her grassy backyard after a day of hanging out with friends and doing school projects with her iPad Pro in what appears to be Brooklyn. A neighbor asks her what she's doing on her computer.</p>
<p>"What's a computer?" the kid replies.</p>
<p>The ad is meant to show the versatility of the iPad (and some in tech media have speculated it's a <a href="https://work.qz.com/1133856/apples-new-ad-is-a-clever-comeback-to-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadellas-ipad-putdown/">subtle dig at Microsoft</a>). In this fantasy Apple world, traditional computers are so outdated that a child doesn't even know what they are.</p>
<p>Of course, that's not the world we live in. Computers are still how the vast, vast majority of work gets done, and the word "computer" is still part of the public consciousness — even for a child.</p>
<p>That fact has not escaped some viewers who say the kid's question can be perceived as insolence.</p>
<p>"Does this commercial tick anybody else off?" one person <a href="https://www.facebook.com/apple/videos/10155053092171128/?hc_ref=ARR9TyRC4BzWUhTsEgoIFu3CjTqSS8U5KRB2lHx7AMiukRdvq5AFpH4p6K7su1gHm00">said in a top comment on a snippet of the ad</a> posted to Facebook. "I want to smack this kid. What's a computer? You know what a computer is you disrespectful smarta--!!"</p>
<p>Plenty of other posts on social media, some with thousands of retweets, echo that observation.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5a68a10400d0ef79008b4f30-630/screen%20shot%202018-01-24%20at%20100215%20am.png" alt="Twitter" data-mce-source="Twitter"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5a68a10800d0ef28008b4836-634/screen%20shot%202018-01-24%20at%20100236%20am.png" alt="Twitter" data-mce-source="Twitter"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5a68a10e00d0ef13058b47ee-633/screen%20shot%202018-01-24%20at%20100253%20am.png" alt="Twitter" data-mce-source="Twitter"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5a68a11200d0efa8068b4798-588/screen%20shot%202018-01-24%20at%20100302%20am.png" alt="Twitter" data-mce-source="Twitter"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5a68a11600d0efb4018b4f01-632/screen%20shot%202018-01-24%20at%20100310%20am.png" alt="Twitter" data-mce-source="Twitter"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5a68a11900d0ef1d008b482f-631/screen%20shot%202018-01-24%20at%20100317%20am.png" alt="Twitter" data-mce-source="Twitter"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5a68a11c00d0efcd168b4e16-631/screen%20shot%202018-01-24%20at%20100335%20am.png" alt="Twitter" data-mce-source="Twitter"></p>
<p>The ad debuted in November and is running on major TV networks. Check it out for yourself below.</p>
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sQB2NjhJHvY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-hq2-losers-having-identity-crises-2018-1" >Cities that were snubbed by Amazon's HQ2 project are having identity crises</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-whats-a-computer-ad-sparks-anger-2018-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-go-new-store-retail-innovation-technology-2018-2">What it's really like inside Amazon's new no-line grocery store.</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/ikea-magazine-ads-pregnancy-test-2018-1Ikea's newest Swedish magazine ads have a built-in pregnancy testhttp://www.businessinsider.com/ikea-magazine-ads-pregnancy-test-2018-1
Thu, 11 Jan 2018 09:29:00 -0500Aqilah Allaudeen
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5a57728e25954c3e008b4d14-800/ikea-ad-pregnancy-test.png" alt="ikea ad pregnancy test" data-mce-source="IKEA via Youtube/Dezeen" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxthg0cd5gI"></p><p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Ikea and advertising agency Akestam Holst have created a magazine ad that encourages readers to pee on a strip at the bottom to see if they're pregnant.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The paper in the ad works much like an at-home pregnancy test.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Pregnant readers will reveal a 50% discount for an Ikea crib for members of Ikea's loyalty program.</strong></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p><br>Ikea’s latest advertising campaign in Sweden has landed with a splash — but it’s not the kind you would expect.</p>
<p>Award-winning Swedish advertising agency Akestam Holst created an ad for the Scandinavian furniture giant that included a bizarre twist: The ad doubles as an at-home pregnancy test.</p>
<p>As bizarre as that sounds, let’s just say that the magazine ad literally tells you if you’re pregnant and rewards you for it, too.</p>
<p>The ad that is currently running in Amelia Magazine,<span> </span>one of Sweden’s most influential <a href="http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/01/10/ikeas-pee-ad/">magazines for women</a>, boldly claims that “Peeing on this ad may change your life.”</p>
<p>It encourages women to dab urine on a modified pregnancy test strip included at the bottom of the ad.</p>
<p>If the test results come back positive,<span> </span><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/10/new-ikea-ad-for-crib-is-a-working-pregnancy-test.html">a discount coupon of about 50% for an Ikea crib will be revealed</a>, reported CNBC. To cash in on the coupon, the customer has to be a member of Ikea’s loyalty program.</p>
<p>“In order to make the interactive functions of this ad work in reality, we had to make several technical advancements,” Akestam Holst told <a href="http://www.adweek.com/creativity/ikea-wants-you-to-pee-on-this-ad-if-youre-pregnant-it-will-give-you-a-discount-on-a-crib/">Adweek</a>. “Technical advancements made during the work with this campaign have the potential to improve medical diagnostics.”</p>
<p>It’s a novel idea for an interactive ad and some appear to love it:</p>
<div>
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This. Is. Great. Hats off to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ikea?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ikea</a> and their agency! <a href="https://t.co/DVRojH26eK">https://t.co/DVRojH26eK</a> </p>— Allison Kelleher (@KelleherAllison) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/951169858464514049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a>
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I love when companies can push a boundary in a fun and clever way. Good on ya, <a href="https://twitter.com/IKEA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ikea</a> - <a href="https://t.co/fJehFMUv2t">https://t.co/fJehFMUv2t</a> </p>— Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/951113187864272896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a>
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<p><span>Others were just outright disgusted.</span></p>
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No, <a href="https://twitter.com/IKEA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ikea</a>. No one wants to pee on a magazine ad to get a coupon code. Just no. <a href="https://t.co/cCQM81c6p3">https://t.co/cCQM81c6p3</a> </p>— Tricina 🏳️‍🌈 (@tricina) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/951144084156039168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/MeredithNBC5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MeredithNBC5</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianCurtisNBC5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrianCurtisNBC5</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KristiNBC5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KristiNBC5</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RickMitchellWX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RickMitchellWX</a><br>In response to the <a href="https://twitter.com/IKEA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IKEA</a> pregnancy test coupon... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ew?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ew</a> <a href="https://t.co/k2B4TxoRE6">pic.twitter.com/k2B4TxoRE6</a> </p>— Nikki Daily (@thedailynikki) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/951308117534543872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a>
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That's actually disgusting...<br>WTF <a href="https://twitter.com/IKEA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IKEA</a> you just lost me as a customer. </p>— MIRAGE (@Mirage_Intl) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/951139780938665984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a>
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<p><span>But mainly, many just felt bad for the Ikea cashiers who had to deal with urine-soaked coupons.</span></p>
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Woww a free pregnancy test 😱 Good luck if you are a cashier @ ikea <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IKEA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IKEA</a> <a href="https://t.co/di8lYBz8nf">https://t.co/di8lYBz8nf</a> </p>— hijabadore (@hijabadore) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/951161169447809024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a>
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*hits joint* “hey...hey steve...we should— you know pregnancy tests, what if...what if we made a pregnancy test ad that women could pee on...*hits joint again*...then they can give the cashier the pee-covered ad in exchange for a surprise” <a href="https://t.co/4fhqWUwS60">https://t.co/4fhqWUwS60</a> </p>— 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕖 (@rebelremus) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/951145848976572416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a>
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<p> </p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cashless-bitcoin-cafe-singapore-2017-12" >A café opened in Singapore that accepts bitcoin instead of cash and has a cryptocurrency ATM for people running low</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ikea-magazine-ads-pregnancy-test-2018-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ikea-product-naming-system-meaning-2017-10">Here's the meaning behind all of those obscure IKEA product names</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/google-and-facebook-dominate-the-world-of-online-advertising-charts-2017-12Google and Facebook dominate digital advertising — and they now account for 25% of all ad sales, online or off (GOOGL, FB, TWTR, SNAP)http://www.businessinsider.com/google-and-facebook-dominate-the-world-of-online-advertising-charts-2017-12
Thu, 07 Dec 2017 19:52:39 -0500Caroline Cakebread
<p>The world of advertising &agrave; la <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mad-men-is-the-best-television-show-ever-heres-why-2017-7">Mad Men</a> is no more. Consumers' eyes are drifting from newspapers and televisions to computers and smartphones, and the world's global advertising dollars are following them. But the overwhelming beneficiaries of this monumental shift are Google and<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-advertising-industry-believes-that-facebook-is-invincible-2017-11"> Facebook</a>.</p>
<p>The two companies just by themselves already draw in more than half of all online advertising revenue worldwide, as we can see in this chart from <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/12179/google-and-facebook-share-of-ad-revenue/">Statista</a>. And now, they're starting to account for a significant chunk of all ad sales &mdash; online or off. </p>
<p>Google and Facebook's dominance has affected not only older, traditional media companies, but also newer digital ones. Even companies with popular services such as Snap and Twitter are struggling to keep hold of their pieces of the advertising pie. </p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5a29dc348a4986d4138b4856-1200/cotd127.png" alt="COTD_12.7" data-mce-source="Mike Nudelman/Business Insider" /></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-amount-of-money-sent-through-venmo-has-sextupled-since-2015-2017-12" >The amount of money flowing through Venmo has surged — at least before the launch of Apple's rival service</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-and-facebook-dominate-the-world-of-online-advertising-charts-2017-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/emily-chang-silicon-valley-sexism-exposed-in-new-book-brotopia-2018-2">How Silicon Valley's sexist 'bro culture' affects everyone — and how to fix it</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/ondcp-anti-drug-agency-trump-cuts-scandal-filled-media-campaign-2017-5The antidrug agency that Trump wants to gut was once in charge of a scandal-filled media campaignhttp://www.businessinsider.com/ondcp-anti-drug-agency-trump-cuts-scandal-filled-media-campaign-2017-5
Tue, 09 May 2017 17:19:00 -0400Veronika Bondarenko
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4ef342de69bedd7e29000014-399-299/war-on-drugs-ondcp-ad-dog-girl.jpg" alt="war on drugs ondcp ad dog girl" width="399" height="299" border="0"></p><p></p>
<p>The Trump administration's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-ondcp-war-on-drugs-director-2017-5">plans to gut funding</a> to the Office of National Drug Control Policy by 96% leaked on Friday.</p>
<p>The move, while <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/us/politics/white-house-proposes-cutting-drug-control-office-funding-by-95.html">criticized</a> by Republicans and Democrats as unwise amid the ongoing opioid crisis, isn't the first time the ONDCP has found itself in hot water.</p>
<p>The ONDCP, created in 1988, launched a antidrug campaign with a <a href="http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-818">$1.2 billion media budget</a> between 1998 and 2004.</p>
<p>It was filled with blunders, including a secret TV scriptwriting project, a criminal trial for overbilling the government that ended in prison time for the ad executives who worked on its campaign, and questions about whether the ads dissuaded youngsters from doing drugs.</p>
<p>Here are some of the problems that arose during the campaign.</p>
<p><em>Laura Stampler contributed to a previous version of this article.</em></p><h3>Government propaganda secretly inserted into TV shows like 'ER'</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4ef33993ecad04bf5a000000-400-300/government-propaganda-secretly-inserted-into-tv-shows-like-er.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>A six-month investigation by Salon in 2000 revealed that <a href="http://www.salon.com/2000/01/13/drugs_6/">the ONDCP was paying networks millions of dollars to secretly embed antidrug messaging into their regular programming</a>.</p>
<p>The money came out of the Congress-approved $1 billion allocation for ad buys. Networks embedded ONDCP-approved messages in their television scripts in lieu of ad slots owed to the government.</p>
<p>"ER" received $1.4 million worth of ad time in exchange for several episodes featuring antidrug subplots, for instance.</p>
<p>The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Use <a href="http://norml.org/news/2000/04/20/fcc-sends-formal-inquiries-to-five-television-networks-allegedly-involved-in-ondcp-payola-scandal">filed a complaint against the practice</a>, and the FCC eventually ruled that the networks would have to identify the ONDCP as a sponsor of the television programs.</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>The federal government went into the scriptwriting business</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4ef241daeab8ea382300001a-400-300/the-federal-government-went-into-the-scriptwriting-business.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>The ONDCP gave networks a total of $25 million to add antidrug-related subplots, but did it have control over what actually appeared in the programs' scripts as well?</p>
<p>While many networks denied giving over control of their scripts, a contractor at the now defunct WB television network told Salon at the time that their storylines did change, using an episode of "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Guy">Smart Guy</a>" as an example. While teens drinking at a party were originally depicted as cool, their social status changed after the ONDCP saw the script.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We showed that they were losers and put them [hidden away to indulge in shamed secrecy] in a utility room. <a href="http://www.salon.com/2000/01/13/drugs_6/">That was not in the original script</a>."</p></p>
<br/><br/><h3>ESPN let government money influence its news coverage</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4ef33c24eab8ea9660000001-400-300/espn-let-government-money-influence-its-news-coverage.jpg" alt="" />
<p><p>ESPN participated in a similar scheme in its news programming at the time.</p>
<p>The sports channel agreed to air paid antidrug commercials in addition to providing matching public service airtime of its own for antidrug messaging.</p>
<p>Rather than run its own public service ads, <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-42745154/espns-lebron-james-show-fits-with-its-history-of-whoring-its-news-division-to-advertisers/">ESPN instead offered its own news programming as a match</a>.</p>
<p>ESPN shows whose coverage of drug use in sports qualified for the federal government's matching money included SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, Monday Night Countdown, SportsWeekly, SportsCentury and Upclose. Topics included baseball player Darryl Strawberry's drug use.</p></p>
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ondcp-anti-drug-agency-trump-cuts-scandal-filled-media-campaign-2017-5#/#creating-bogus-news-reports-with-taxpayer-dollars-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/google-exec-philipp-schindler-on-youtube-boycott-2017-4Google's business chief shows how 'very, very, very' tricky its position on ads and offensive YouTube videos is (GOOG)http://www.businessinsider.com/google-exec-philipp-schindler-on-youtube-boycott-2017-4
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 10:35:01 -0400Nathan McAlone
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/58e253b777bb7099008b5bdf-1531/gettyimages-627784276 1.jpg" alt="sundar pichai philipp schindler" data-mce-source="Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images"></p><p><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/GOOG-Quote">Google</a> is in a tricky position because of an advertiser boycott that has seen huge brands pull ads after revelations that they were appearing next to offensive YouTube videos and other objectionable content.</p>
<p>Late last month, more than 250 brands <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/these-brands-pulled-ads-from-youtube-and-google-over-extremist-content-2017-3">reportedly froze their campaigns</a> aside from search with Google, though some have since reversed course. Analysts at Nomura Instinet estimated that Google <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/analyst-predicts-the-youtube-ad-boycott-will-cost-google-750-million-2017-3">could lose up to $750 million</a> from the boycott.</p>
<p>Now Google is on the offensive to try to wash away the concerns about brand safety.</p>
<p>Google did a big press push Monday morning, with its chief business officer, Philipp Schindler, talking to The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Recode. His statements about the boycott showed how convoluted Google's position is.</p>
<p>Google wants to look like it's facing the problem head-on while it maintains it's not a problem in the first place.</p>
<p>"We take this as seriously as we've ever taken a problem," Schindler <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/03/technology/google-training-ad-placement-computers-to-be-offended.html?_r=0">told The New York Times</a>. "We've been in emergency mode."</p>
<p>Emergency mode sounds drastic, and on Monday, Google announced it was using <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-will-use-artificial-intelligence-to-find-objectionable-content-2017-4?op=1">a new machine-learning tool</a> to identify offensive content, which Schindler <a href="https://www.recode.net/2017/4/3/15157654/google-youtube-advertising-controversy-interview-philipp-schindler">told Recode</a>&nbsp;could find five times as many videos that weren't "brand safe."</p>
<p>Google is acting, and it wants the public to know about it. But at the same time, Google wants to stress that it wasn't a big deal anyway.</p>
<p>"It has always been a small problem" with "very, very, very, small numbers" of ads, Schindler told Recode.</p>
<p>He echoed this language in another interview.</p>
<p>"Historically, it has been a very small, small problem," Schindler <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-03/google-updates-ads-polices-again-ramps-up-ai-to-curtail-youtube-crisis">told Bloomberg</a>. "We can make it an even smaller, smaller, smaller problem."</p>
<p>OK, so if it's such a small problem, is there a way to wipe it out? According to Google, no.</p>
<p>"Cutting away the ability for brands to truly interact with consumers by asking for one hundred percent safety is very, very, very unrealistic," Schindler told Bloomberg.</p>
<p>This last statement gives a window into the heart of the problem for Google. Google doesn't want to guarantee that ads won't appear on offensive videos — rather, it wants to get that possibility to a small enough level where its brand partners won't be upset about it anymore. That likely will happen when there are no more headlines about it.</p>
<p>Like with Facebook's response to "fake news," this position leads to the rhetorical jujitsu of taking responsibility and action while simultaneously admitting that, realistically, you will continue to allow some small percentage of the problem to happen on your platform.</p>
<p><em>Additional reporting by Julien Rath.</em></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/analyst-predicts-the-youtube-ad-boycott-will-cost-google-750-million-2017-3" >Analysts predict the YouTube advertiser boycott will cost Google $750 million</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-exec-philipp-schindler-on-youtube-boycott-2017-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/waterotor-harvest-green-energy-water-currents-2-mph-turbine-electricity-fish-flow-renewable-2017-4">This turbine can harvest green energy in water currents as slow as 2 mph</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-stories-search-ad-opportunities-2017-3Snapchat adds new Stories search feature, opening up more places for ads (SNAP)http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-stories-search-ad-opportunities-2017-3
Fri, 31 Mar 2017 12:36:13 -0400Alex Heath
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/58de84028af578032f8b492d-1440/undefined" alt="Snapchat Stories search" data-mce-source="Snapchat"></p><p></p>
<p>Snapchat is tiptoeing into the lucrative world of search with a new feature announced on Friday.</p>
<p>The app's 158 million daily users will soon be able to search for more than 1 million crowd-sourced Stories, a company spokeswoman told Business Insider. Facebook <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-releases-facebook-stories-snapchat-clone-globally-2017-3">has relentlessly copied Snapchat's Stories format</a>, which shows photos and videos taken in chronological order that <span>disappear after 24 hours</span>, in recent months.</p>
<p>Here's how Snapchat's new search feature works: The company will use machine learning to collect Stories together around certain events, themes or places, like sports games or puppies, from users who willingly submit photos and videos to the app's "Our Story" feature.</p>
<p>Snapchat's human editors previously created themed Stories from user-submitted videos, but this is the first time that users can search for crowdsourced Stories they want to watch. Snapchat will continue to have its employees curate Stories as well, a spokeswoman said. A handful of the company's content editors <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-kills-live-stories-for-cities-fires-human-curators-2016-9">were laid off last fall</a>.</p>
<p>Becoming a search engine opens up new ad opportunities for Snapchat, which is competing in a fiercely competitive digital ad market dominated by Facebook and Google.</p>
<p>For now, Snapchat isn't monetizing its search capabilities. No ads will be shown in Stories discovered through search, a spokeswoman said. Last year Snapchat paid <span>$114.5 million <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-vurb-recommendation-search-app-snapchat-200-million-2016-8">for Vurb</a>, an app that let people find recommendations for things to do with friends.</span></p>
<p><span>Here's a video by Snapchat announcing its new search feature:</span></p>
<div>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XyqQtm4wETA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-stories-search-ad-opportunities-2017-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-new-camera-features-copy-snapchat-2017-3">Facebook is copying Snapchat with these new features</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-starts-testing-news-feed-ads-in-messenger-2017-1Facebook is starting to test ads in Messenger as it runs out of space to put them in the News Feed (FB)http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-starts-testing-news-feed-ads-in-messenger-2017-1
Wed, 25 Jan 2017 14:36:14 -0500Alex Heath
<p><img class="center float_right" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5888fc00f10a9a260b8b725f-650/undefined" alt="32" data-mce-source="Facebook" /></p><p></p>
<p>Facebook is running out of room to place ads in the News Feed, so it's turning to Messenger.</p>
<p>The social network has begun testing targeted ads in the Messenger app in Thailand and Australia, according to a <a href="https://messengerblog.com/general-messenger/testing-ads-in-messenger/">company blog post on Wednesday</a>. A carousel of ads will be shown below a user's list of recent conversations in Messenger, and advertisers can use the same targeting tools Facebook provides for News Feed ads.</p>
<p>Messenger doesn't plan to show ads inside actual conversations, and Facebook is characterizing these new ads as a "test."</p>
<p>"We believe this new test for the very small group of people in Thailand and Australia reflects a lightweight, relevant and useful approach to helping people and businesses connect on Messenger," Messenger product manager Eddie Zhang said in a blog post. "For the Messenger community, it may enhance the discovery of new experiences to make it seamless to interact with businesses on their terms. For businesses, it could offer a new way to surface their products and services to current and potential customers."</p>
<p><span>Facebook tried to monetize Messenger's one billion users last year </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-facebook-messenger-bots-2016-4">by letting businesses create chat bots</a><span>, but that effort has yet to produce any kind of meaningful revenue.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-cfo-comments-on-2017-spending-and-revenue-growth-2016-11">Facebook's CFO recently cautioned</a> that the company will likely reach the limit of ads it can squeeze in the News Feed this year. And with Facebook set to report its fourth quarter earnings next week, investors will be eager to hear how executives are planning to show ads in more places like this Messenger experiment.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-monetization-plans-messenger-whatsapp-2016-11" >Mark Zuckerberg explained how close Messenger and WhatsApp are to making money</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-starts-testing-news-feed-ads-in-messenger-2017-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-messenger-tips-tricks-hacks-2016-1">7 Facebook Messenger tricks only power users know about</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/swedish-billboard-coughs-at-people-2017-1This clever billboard coughs at people who smoke nearbyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/swedish-billboard-coughs-at-people-2017-1
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 16:10:00 -0500Chris Weller
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/587e8413f10a9acc1c8b8829-1229/screen%20shot%202017-01-17%20at%2035138%20pm.png" alt="smoking billboard" data-mce-source="Apotek Hjärtat/YouTube"></p><p>Most smokers are used to hearing complaints about their habit, but few of those complaints are lodged in the form of a coughing billboard.</p>
<p>As part of a new anti-smoking awareness campaign in Sweden, the ad agency <a href="http://www.akestamholst.se/#about-us">Akestam Holst</a> has installed a kiosk in Stockholm's busy Odenplan square.</p>
<p>Whenever a person lights up near the billboard, which is outfitted with a smoke detector, a virtual man will produce a nasty, barking cough on-screen.</p>
<p>In the video introducing the billboard, smokers react with a mixture of delight, surprise, and mild disdain for the digital secondhand smoker.</p>
<p>After a few seconds, the screen then displays an ad for various cessation products from Apotek Hjartat — hopefully within enough time to catch the smoker mid-puff.</p>
<p>Ida Persson, a spokeswoman for the agency, says the billboard is meant to help people make good on a common New Year's resolution: quit smoking.</p>
<div>
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_Uj-MMAys4M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/swedish-reebok-ad-gives-out-free-sneakers-2016-3" >If you run fast enough past this Reebok ad, you get a free pair of sneakers</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/swedish-billboard-coughs-at-people-2017-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/psychology-loneliness-health-2016-2">This common feeling is worse for your health than smoking or obesity</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/r-thursday-night-nfl-football-on-nbc-commands-high-ad-prices-source-2016-11NBC is charging big money for ads during Thursday Night Football (CMCSA, CBS)http://www.businessinsider.com/r-thursday-night-nfl-football-on-nbc-commands-high-ad-prices-source-2016-11
Thu, 17 Nov 2016 18:59:00 -0500Tim Baysinger
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/56b507592e5265b9008b54ab-2400/ap_757232155110.jpg" alt="thursday night football steelers" data-mce-source="Gene J. Puskar/AP Images" data-mce-caption="Steelers fans during a Thursday Night Football game" /></p><p>Even though television ratings are down this year for National Football League games, Comcast Corp's NBC television network still commands hefty prices from advertisers for NFL games as pro football remains among the most valuable properties on U.S. television.</p>
<p>On Thursday, NBC airs the first of its five "Thursday Night Football" games. The network had been asking advertisers to pay $560,000 for a 30-second spot, in line with what CBS Corp commanded for five early-season games. NBC has gotten some to pay as high as $600,000 for a spot, according to three people with direct knowledge of the negotiations.</p>
<p>CBS averaged 14.7 million viewers for its games, which were simulcast on the NFL's cable network and Twitter, a drop-off of 16 percent from last year.</p>
<p>Networks have had to give free extra commercial time to advertisers to compensate for lower-than-promised ratings. This has given them fewer available spots to sell.</p>
<p>Still, advertiser demand has remained steady, keeping prices high. A media buyer with knowledge of negotiations said networks have been able to offset lower ratings by charging higher rates as measured by CPMs, "Cost Per Mille," or how much an advertiser is paying to reach 1,000 people.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/56afad0b58c32390008b6e76-2400/ap_485586456926.jpg" alt="thursday night football" data-mce-source="Ross D. Franklin/AP Images" /></p>
<p>Ratings have been down across the board for the NFL this season, though the drop-off has been most apparent in national primetime games. The league has said the contentious U.S. presidential election campaign siphoned off viewers from football. Through the first nine weeks of the season, viewership was down 14 percent from last year.</p>
<p>Last weekend, the first since the election, saw some noticeable upticks.</p>
<p>NBC's Sunday night game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots drew 22.5 million viewers, the most since the second week of the season and the first to outdraw last year's equivalent game on the schedule. Fox's late-afternoon national game between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers drew 28.9 million viewers, the highest on any network this season.</p>
<p>"These data points might support those who had attributed a larger part of the viewership loss to the presidential elections but it is too early to call," said a Barclays analyst in a research report issued Thursday.</p>
<p>The Cowboys, Steelers and Patriots all boast large national followings and both games were nail-biters. ESPN's Nov. 14 "Monday Night Football" game was down from the prior week. (Reporting by Tim Baysinger; Editing by David Gregorio)</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-thursday-night-nfl-football-on-nbc-commands-high-ad-prices-source-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/eye-tracking-heat-maps-gallery-2016-8These eye-tracking heat maps show what people really care abouthttp://www.businessinsider.com/eye-tracking-heat-maps-gallery-2016-8
Tue, 15 Nov 2016 12:25:42 -0500Business Insider
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57c44742b996eb96008b4e9c-1383/screen shot 2016-08-29 at 10.30.52 am.png" alt="eye-tracking heatmap women looking" data-mce-source="sticky.ai" /></p><p></p>
<p>We never tire of looking at eye-tracking heat maps. In one&nbsp;glance, you&nbsp;can&nbsp;see what&nbsp;does or doesn't influence people and how your reactions compare to the rest of the world.</p>
<p><a href="https://sticky.ai/">Sticky </a>is a startup that&nbsp;does that kind of analysis for brands, along with the recent addition of&nbsp;<a href="http://marketingland.com/web-based-eye-tracker-sticky-now-can-track-your-emotions-as-well-155142">emotional tracking</a>. It provided&nbsp;the following&nbsp;new set of images for Business Insider readers.</p><h3>Among four "Game of Thrones" actors, people like looking at Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie) most, Kit Harington (Jon) second, Richard Madden (Rob) third, Pedro Pascal (Oberyn) fourth.</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/57c446b209d293d10f8b4e7b-400-300/among-four-game-of-thrones-actors-people-like-looking-at-nikolaj-coster-waldau-jamie-most-kit-harington-jon-second-richard-madden-rob-third-pedro-pascal-oberyn-fourth.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Among four "Game of Thrones" actresses, people like looking at Emilia Clarke (Daenerys) most, Natalie Dormer (Margaery) second, Lena Headey (Cersei) third, and Sophie Turner (Sansa) fourth.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57c446b209d29323008b4ec3-400-300/among-four-game-of-thrones-actresses-people-like-looking-at-emilia-clarke-daenerys-most-natalie-dormer-margaery-second-lena-headey-cersei-third-and-sophie-turner-sansa-fourth.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Baby Boomers look at ads on the side of websites. Millennials do not.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/57c446b209d2931b008b4e83-400-300/baby-boomers-look-at-ads-on-the-side-of-websites-millennials-do-not.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/eye-tracking-heat-maps-gallery-2016-8#/#people-looked-at-james-franco-a-lot-this-car-ad-the-car-not-so-much-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/sainsburys-christmas-advert-features-james-corden-singing-2016-11Watch the Sainsbury's Christmas advert which features James Corden singinghttp://www.businessinsider.com/sainsburys-christmas-advert-features-james-corden-singing-2016-11
Mon, 14 Nov 2016 06:00:00 -0500Joe Daunt
<p>Sainsbury's released their 2016 Christmas advert, which makes use of state-of-the-art stop frame animation.</p>
<p><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/james-corden-only-cares-about-youtube-2016-10">British comedian James Corden </a>sings the advert's song, which tells the story of a father called Dave who is struggling to juggle his family life with work life.</p>
<p>The advert will help raise funds for the <a href="http://www.gosh.org/">Great Ormond Street Hospital.</a></p>
<p><em>Produced by <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/author/joe-daunt">Joe Daunt.</a></em></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sainsburys-christmas-advert-features-james-corden-singing-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-scandal-we-ignore-2016-11The disturbing Facebook scandal we're all ignoringhttp://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-scandal-we-ignore-2016-11
Tue, 01 Nov 2016 21:44:00 -0400David Dayen
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/58078b86c52402eb6b8b5081-723/facebook-adds-food-ordering-feature.jpg" alt="A man is silhouetted against a video screen with an Facebook logo as he poses with an Samsung S4 smartphone in this photo illustration taken in the central Bosnian town of Zenica, August 14, 2013. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="A man is silhouetted against a video screen with an Facebook logo as he poses with an Samsung S4 smartphone in this photo illustration taken in the central Bosnian town of Zenica" /></p><p>Imagine if a report came out showing evidence that Wells Fargo violated the Fair Housing Act by hiding certain home listings from African-Americans.</p>
<p>Every politician in Washington would condemn the bank for illegal practices. The Justice Department would be inundated with letters demanding prosecution.</p>
<p>Congressional committee chairs would schedule hearings to give members an opportunity to yell at executives.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo would put out a sober apology expressing deep sorrow and vowing to make everything right.</p>
<p>In other words, we have a context for bank misconduct, and everyone dutifully plays his or her part.</p>
<p>When the same circumstance occurs with Facebook in the role of the villain, however, nobody knows how to react. There are no assigned roles when a tech firm with a glimmering reputation creates a controversy. We implicitly give them a break, regardless of the merits. That's a bias we should probably correct.</p>
<p>On Friday, ProPublica <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-lets-advertisers-exclude-users-by-race">revealed</a> that Facebook allows advertisers a tool that enables them to exclude "ethnic affinities" like African-Americans or Hispanics from viewing their ads. (Facebook does not ask users about their race, but it does collect data based on posts they like or comment on.) This goes well beyond targeting different styles of advertising to certain groups, which is common. Instead, it specifically prevents a black or Hispanic Facebook user from seeing a particular ad.</p>
<p>This shifts from market segmenting to violating the law when the product is an ad for housing or employment recruiting, especially because Facebook carries such granular data on its users. The problem is the exclusion and how precise Facebook's big data allows that to work. Federal law prevents discrimination in such matters by race or gender. ProPublica tested this with a <a href="https://www.propublica.org/documents/item/3191165-Facebook-Propublica-Ad.html">sample ad</a> inviting people on Facebook to a forum at the Brooklyn Public Library about challenging illegal rent increases. African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanics weren't allowed to see it.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/580a4a558d83b41e008b60a4-1276/screen shot 2016-10-21 at 12.51.12 pm.png" alt="facebook live ads 2" data-mce-source="Facebook" /></p>
<p>If the ad were selling a house or recruiting for a job fair, it would almost certainly be illegal. "This is about as blatant a violation of the federal Fair Housing Act as one can find," civil-rights lawyer John Relman told ProPublica.</p>
<p>Facebook, of course, disputes the allegation. It says the tools are meant to test marketing campaigns with specific groups for their effectiveness, not to discriminate. In a buzzword-laden <a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/h/driving-relevance-and-inclusion-with-multicultural-marketing/">post on its website</a>, Facebook head of multicultural sales Christian Martinez writes, "we want Facebook to be a platform that's respectful and empowering," and "we will take aggressive enforcement action" against targeting that violates anti-discrimination laws.</p>
<p>But ProPublica's housing-based ad got approved for use on Facebook within 15 minutes, suggesting that there isn't any close scrutiny of exclusion targeting or understanding of its negative consequences. At the least, Facebook <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2016/10/28/turns_out_sexual_harassment_is_as_big_a_problem_for_female_runners_as_for.html">hasn't thought critically</a> about these issues.</p>
<p>While the ProPublica story has <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/30/technology/facebook-advertising-discrimination/">generated some chatter</a>, no politician has demanded that Facebook immediately take down its exclusion targeting tool. Nobody has called for hearings. Nobody has sought clarification on whether the Justice Department would open an investigation. Nobody has written a negative word about Facebook at all.</p>
<p>Banks have a preexisting reputation that would turn a story like this into a serious negative pile-on. Large tech firms don't have that baked into their reputation. It's reasonable to ask why, considering that we have a smattering of examples of Silicon Valley's indifference to federal law, from the industry-wide <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/01/15/415m-settlement-reached-in-silicon-valley-tech-suit-over-salary-fixing/">wage-fixing scandal</a> to Amazon's <a href="http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/life-and-death-amazon-temp/">sweatshops</a>.</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57fbbe4f8109ee77228b472c-2048/12916720_10102765146351341_6258689777647782850_o.jpg" alt="Mark Zuckerberg Facebook campus" data-mce-source="Facebook" data-mce-caption="Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with employees at the company's Menlo Park headquarters." /></p>
<p>Because tech is new and shiny, it gets the benefit of the doubt when negative stories get published about industry practices in a way that Wall Street simply doesn't. And it's not just Facebook ads. Uber has over the years claimed to solve a market failure of African-Americans having trouble hailing taxicabs. But a massive study from the National Bureau for Economic Research <a href="http://jalopnik.com/uber-is-quietly-terrible-for-women-and-black-people-st-1788392405">showed</a> that riders with African-American-sounding names experienced higher cancellation rates and longer wait times when using the Uber app. Airbnb has struggled with the <a href="http://www.npr.org/2016/04/26/475623339/-airbnbwhileblack-how-hidden-bias-shapes-the-sharing-economy">same biases</a>.</p>
<p>Other than a couple of members of the Congressional Black Caucus <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/two-black-members-congress-condemn-racism-airbnb-pressure-ceo-n594466">contacting Airbnb</a>, none of this has raised much of a peep in Washington. In fact, former Attorney General Eric Holder <a href="http://atlantablackstar.com/2016/07/21/former-attorney-general-eric-holder-to-help-airbnb-create-effective-anti-discriminatory-policy/">rode to Airbnb's rescue</a> to help the company arrange an effective antidiscrimination policy. This kind of assistance isn't present when Bank of America or some other bank <a href="http://www.citylab.com/housing/2015/09/redlining-is-alive-and-welland-evolving/407497/">disadvantages customers by race</a>.</p>
<p>Federal antidiscrimination laws are just one area in which the tech industry has found itself in trouble. ProPublica has another series on the tech industry's behind-the-scenes practices, finding that Amazon <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/amazon-says-it-puts-customers-first-but-its-pricing-algorithm-doesnt">favors its own products</a> with its "buy box," which often charges consumers more for the same product. That skirts antitrust laws, which is something of a trend for tech. Google is fighting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/31/technology/google-europe-antitrust.html?partner=rss&amp;emc=rss">multiple antitrust charges</a> in Europe, where Apple has separately been accused of illegally <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/30/technology/apple-tax-eu-us-ireland/">avoiding $14.6 billion</a> in unpaid taxes. Facebook also has a tax issue over <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tn-facebook-taxes-20160714-snap-story.html">assets the company moved to Ireland</a> to take advantage of lower rates.</p>
<p>If we thought differently about Silicon Valley, we could build a profile of tech's biggest businesses as corporate miscreants, constantly seeking advantage by avoiding or outright ignoring the law. But they don't have that reputation, and so these stories remain disassociated rather than cumulative.</p>
<p>We hear a lot about the bias of journalists who report on stories, but not much about the bias of those who read them. Reputational history creates blind spots in how readers process the news. It's pretty obvious that Facebook values the profit it can gain from advertisers by giving them a tool to segregate their ads well beyond the potential for illegal abuse. But we don't read that as part of a consistent set of value judgments by Silicon Valley firms. Maybe we should.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-scandal-we-ignore-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/security-identification-facebook-geotagging-2016-10">This is how you're compromising your identity on Facebook</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-wont-start-flying-drones-over-traffic-2016-10Uber tested drones carrying ads over cars in Mexico City, but it won't be a regular eventhttp://www.businessinsider.com/uber-wont-start-flying-drones-over-traffic-2016-10
Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:48:48 -0400Avery Hartmans
<p>The flock of drones buzzing over cars and bearing signs touting Uber's service looked straight out of a science-fiction movie. But if you're hoping to see the airborne ads next time you're on the freeway, you're out of luck.</p>
<p>Uber may have flown drones over gridlocked traffic in Mexico City this summer, but that doesn't mean you'll start seeing them on your daily commute.</p>
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Just drones advertising uberPOOL while you are stuck in traffic <a href="https://t.co/ZRduNW6Jiz">pic.twitter.com/ZRduNW6Jiz</a> </p>— Jelle Prins (@jelleprins) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/787037140400082944">October 14, 2016</a>
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<p>The drones were part of a marketing effort by Uber in its busiest city, flying above traffic holding a sign that roughly translates to, "Are you going alone? For that reason you'll never see the volcanoes #UberPOOL." The sign references <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/science/articles/2016-03-30/mexico-city-temporarily-restricts-all-cars-after-smog-alert" target="_blank">Mexico City's thick smog</a>, which makes it hard to see the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mexico-volcano-eruption-science-2016-4" target="_blank">Popocatépetl volcano</a> that towers over the city. The drones were an advertisement for UberPool, the company's carpooling service.</p>
<p>An Uber spokesperson told Business Insider that the drones are not part of a wider marketing effort on Uber's part and were just a one-time occurrence — they only flew around for a matter of minutes. The company did not measure the results and said it has no plans to try it out in another city anytime soon.</p>
<p>Uber frequently tests out attention-grabbing marketing efforts that are often short-term offerings. In the past, the ride-hailing company has tried out <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-luxury-services-2016-9" target="_blank">UberYacht and UberChopper</a>, which let riders hail a yacht or helicopter ride, respectively, and is said to be launching UberBalloon in China. The drones were likely intended to be a fun, one-time thing to get the attention of one of its fastest-growing markets. </p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-luxury-services-2016-9" >Here are the craziest and most luxurious services Uber offers its users</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-wont-start-flying-drones-over-traffic-2016-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-self-driving-taxis-test-drive-2016-9">We got a ride in a self-driving Uber — here's what it was like</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/eye-tracking-heat-maps-gallery-2016-8These eye-tracking heat maps show what people really care abouthttp://www.businessinsider.com/eye-tracking-heat-maps-gallery-2016-8
Wed, 28 Sep 2016 17:57:46 -0400Business Insider
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57c44742b996eb96008b4e9c-1383/screen shot 2016-08-29 at 10.30.52 am.png" alt="eye-tracking heatmap women looking" data-mce-source="sticky.ai" /></p><p></p>
<p>We never tire of looking at eye-tracking heat maps. In one&nbsp;glance, you&nbsp;can&nbsp;see what&nbsp;does or doesn't influence people and how your reactions compare to the rest of the world.</p>
<p><a href="https://sticky.ai/">Sticky </a>is a startup that&nbsp;does that kind of analysis for brands, along with the recent addition of&nbsp;<a href="http://marketingland.com/web-based-eye-tracker-sticky-now-can-track-your-emotions-as-well-155142">emotional tracking</a>. It provided&nbsp;the following&nbsp;new set of images for Business Insider readers.</p><h3>Among four "Game of Thrones" actors, people like looking at Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie) most, Kit Harington (Jon) second, Richard Madden (Rob) third, Pedro Pascal (Oberyn) fourth.</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/57c446b209d293d10f8b4e7b-400-300/among-four-game-of-thrones-actors-people-like-looking-at-nikolaj-coster-waldau-jamie-most-kit-harington-jon-second-richard-madden-rob-third-pedro-pascal-oberyn-fourth.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Among four "Game of Thrones" actresses, people like looking at Emilia Clarke (Daenerys) most, Natalie Dormer (Margaery) second, Lena Headey (Cersei) third, and Sophie Turner (Sansa) fourth.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57c446b209d29323008b4ec3-400-300/among-four-game-of-thrones-actresses-people-like-looking-at-emilia-clarke-daenerys-most-natalie-dormer-margaery-second-lena-headey-cersei-third-and-sophie-turner-sansa-fourth.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><h3>Baby Boomers look at ads on the side of websites. Millennials do not.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/57c446b209d2931b008b4e83-400-300/baby-boomers-look-at-ads-on-the-side-of-websites-millennials-do-not.jpg" alt="" />
<br/><br/><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/eye-tracking-heat-maps-gallery-2016-8#/#people-looked-at-james-franco-a-lot-this-car-ad-the-car-not-so-much-4">See the rest of the story at Business Insider</a> http://www.businessinsider.com/james-corden-apple-music-commercial-video-2016-9James Corden stars in an all-new commercial for Apple Music (AAPL)http://www.businessinsider.com/james-corden-apple-music-commercial-video-2016-9
Mon, 19 Sep 2016 12:03:05 -0400Lori Janjigian
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/57e00960077dcc1e008b6b8c-580/screen%20shot%202016-09-19%20at%2011.50.15%20am.png" alt="James Corden Apple Music" data-mce-source="Screenshot/BI"></p><p>James Corden has been on a roll lately. And now, he's starring in his own advertisement for Apple Music.</p>
<p>At Sunday night's Emmy Awards, Corden appeared in Apple Music's two-minute video as part of a new marketing campaign for the <span>$10-a-month subscription service.</span></p>
<p><span> Corden appeared alongside three Apple executives as well: <span>Beats cofounder </span>Jimmy Iovine, Apple's senior vice president of internet software and services Eddy Cue, and Bozoma Saint John, head of marketing at Apple Music. </span></p>
<p><span>Corden's appearance in the advertisement comes with his new partnership with Apple. Back in July, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-music-buys-james-cordens-carpool-karaoke-series-2016-7">Apple Music bought Cordon's "Carpool Karaoke"</a> series, even though the segment will still appear on Corden's "Late Late Show." He also appeared in a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-7-event-tim-cook-carpool-karaoke-2016-9">"Carpool Karaoke" sketch with Apple CEO Tim Cook</a> on his way to Apple's September 7 event. </span></p>
<p><span>Check out the new Apple Music ad with James Corden here:</span></p>
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CQY3KUR3VzM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hissgate-iphone-7-phones-making-weird-hissing-noise-owners-say-buzzgate-2016-9" >Some iPhone 7s are making a weird hissing noise</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/james-corden-apple-music-commercial-video-2016-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/buildable-cardboard-kit-hold-nintendo-switch-console-video-game-2018-2">We built Nintendo's next big thing, Nintendo Labo</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/fanduel-ceo-nigel-eccles-ads-2016-9The CEO of FanDuel explains why there won't be another blitzkrieg of advertising this yearhttp://www.businessinsider.com/fanduel-ceo-nigel-eccles-ads-2016-9
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 13:13:34 -0400Emmett Knowlton
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/561f3fc15afbd3e6408b4567-800/business-model-of-daily-fantasy-sports-under-federal-probe-wsj.jpg" alt="Nigel Eccles, CEO &amp; Co-founder of FanDuel, speaks during an interview in New York, September 10, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Nigel Eccles, CEO &amp; Co-founder of FanDuel, speaks during an interview in New York" /></p><p>The first week of the NFL season has come and gone. And along&nbsp;with&nbsp;the absence of Tom Brady, perhaps the biggest noticeable difference between this year&nbsp;and last is the relative dearth of advertising by the daily fantasy apps FanDuel and DraftKings.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A lot has&nbsp;changed in a year. Last year at this time, FanDuel and DraftKings&nbsp;were each valued at over $1 billion. Their logos were emblazoned on billboards, buses, and subway cars.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Combined, the rival apps poured $750 million into TV commercials focused around the start of the NFL season. They were inescapable. At one point last fall, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/draftkings-fanduel-daily-fantasy-sports-advertising-2015-10">Legal Sports Report estimated</a> that a commercial for either FanDuel or DraftKings appeared on&nbsp;TV&nbsp;once every 90 seconds.</p>
<p>These commercials were not exactly met with glowing remarks. <a href="http://digiday.com/brands/everybody-hated-draftkings-fanduel-commercials-data-shows/">Digiday reported</a> that 76% of people reacted negatively to the commercials &mdash; in large part because of their frequency alone.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"Negative mentions don&rsquo;t generally concern themselves with the quality of the ads, or the messages within them, but just seeing them repeatedly," a&nbsp;Brandwatch <a href="http://digiday.com/brands/everybody-hated-draftkings-fanduel-commercials-data-shows/">analyst told Digiday.</a></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Then things took a turn. </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/sports/fanduel-draftkings-fantasy-employees-bet-rivals.html">After The New York Times reported</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;a DraftKings employee had made $350,000 on FanDuel, New York's attorney general began to investigate the companies, and eventually&nbsp;ordered cease-and-desist letters. Several states followed suit, which led&nbsp;to complex legal battles and arguments over whether or not daily fantasy sites constituted gambling or, as the apps argued, games of skill.</span></p>
<p><span>On&nbsp;August 3, following a lengthy summer lobbying effort by the companies&nbsp;&mdash; which&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2016/06/jim_kelly_and_vinny_testaverde_lobby_in_albany_for_fantasy_sports.html">included the presence of former quarterback Vinny Testaverde</a>&nbsp;on the New York State Senate floor &mdash;&nbsp;New York Gov.&nbsp;Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill that granted daily fantasy to be played in New York. </span></p>
<p><span>Seven other states have signed similar laws allowing, and regulating, daily fantasy sports. After&nbsp;a whirlwind of a year, it seems that FanDuel and DraftKings aren't going anywhere &mdash; at least anytime soon.</span></p>
<p>"We're really<span style="font-weight: 400;">&nbsp;excited about the start of the NFL," FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles told Business Insider in an interview. "We think it&rsquo;s going to be bigger than ever this season. When users come by they&rsquo;re going to see a lot of changes. The site looks completely different."</span></p>
<p>Another difference, Eccles said, would be the company's&nbsp;advertising strategy. He admitted that last year, his company overdid&nbsp;it with the commercials.</p>
<p>"<span>What I would say about last year was that [the commercials were]&nbsp;really driving awareness," Eccles said.&nbsp;"Prior to last season very few people had heard of us, so we really wanted to get out there and get people to know us. That was successful &mdash; maybe too successful."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And it wasn't just the&nbsp;frequency of airtime, Eccles said &mdash; the content of the ads&nbsp;were also regrettable. Think back on those commercials: What&nbsp;stands out more than anything is the bro in the backwards hat, oversized check in hand.&nbsp;According to the commercials, the everyman getting rich &mdash; and getting rich quick &mdash; was precisely what daily fantasy apps like FanDuel&nbsp;were all about.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I think last year we probably focused too much on money," Eccles said.&nbsp;"I think we probably were too narrow in what we were marketing."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He added: "We really struggled &mdash; we knew players were saying, 'Hey, this product is really exciting, it&rsquo;s a lot of fun, that&rsquo;s why I play it.' And we said, 'OK, how do we put that in an ad?' I don&rsquo;t think we were successful there last year. The other reason people loved playing was the prospect and the excitement of winning money, and we focused too much on that. That was definitely a mistake."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The problem with focusing so narrowly on money, of course, was that the everyman wasn't winning as easily as the ads portrayed it.&nbsp;Rather, the skilled players &mdash; many of whom were setting dozens of lineups based on complicated algorithms &mdash; were winning the big prizes in large part by preying on the inexperienced players.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although scripting &mdash; the automated way professional players were able to set dozens of lineups concurrently &mdash; has since been banned, Eccles knows this type of "sharks vs.&nbsp;minnows" dilemma is a big one in the industry. He said it presents a challenge when it comes to growing his product.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It&rsquo;s something that we&rsquo;ve been concerned about for a long time. We want to be a fun, entertaining product," he said. "</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">We want it to be a game of skill, so we accept that the better players are going to win more often, but we also want new users. We want there to be a level playing field."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He added: </span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">"</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of our marketing guys likes to say that if I&rsquo;m a nine-minute miler, I want to go in against other nine-minute milers, not a five-minute miler. So what we&rsquo;ve been doing is putting things in like beginning leagues, where only beginners can play. We&rsquo;ve also been clearly marking the experienced players so you can identify them. If you want to play against them, sure. But we&rsquo;re also doing a lot of research and education so that if you&rsquo;re a new player, we want you to get better. That&rsquo;s a key part of the product."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead of focusing on winning money, Eccles said that FanDuel's commercials this year will focus on the other reasons that make people use the app.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We know people play FanDuel for the bragging rights, the camaraderie, they love the research, the high scoring. You see that coming through in our ads this year. Given that we have the awareness, we won't&nbsp;have the frequency [of ads] we had last year."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This change in approach was visible&nbsp;during Week 1 of the NFL season. FanDuel's ads boasted something called</span><span>&nbsp;"SportsRich" &mdash; a new, trademarked phrase&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fanduel.com/brand">FanDuel describes</a>&nbsp;as&nbsp;<span>"the experience of having all the great stuff sports has to offer."</span></span>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcyH8BhuhrI">In the new ad,</a></span>&nbsp;fans drink beer and taunt each other from the couch. Gone are the oversized checks, or any mention of winning&nbsp;money&nbsp;whatsoever. Though, yes, there are still plenty of bros in backwards hats.</p>
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/57d9964cb0ef9764008b5b8a-1500/fanduel.png" alt="FanDuel SportsRich" data-mce-source="Youtube" /></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fanduel-ceo-nigel-eccles-ads-2016-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/vince-stephanie-shane-mcmahon-wwe-successor-triple-h-jim-ross-wrestling-2018-1">JIM ROSS: Here's who will take over WWE after Vince McMahon</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/secret-history-of-smokey-bear-2016-9Here's the crazy history behind America's fire prevention mascot, Smokey the Bearhttp://www.businessinsider.com/secret-history-of-smokey-bear-2016-9
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 11:38:31 -0400Josh Wolff
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/secret-history-of-smokey-bear-2016-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/burger-commercial-behind-the-scenes-video-2016-9Here's how they make burger commercials look so goodhttp://www.businessinsider.com/burger-commercial-behind-the-scenes-video-2016-9
Wed, 07 Sep 2016 10:39:00 -0400Gene Kim
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<p>There is nothing more tempting than a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/shake-shack-burger-secret-2016-6">gorgeous burger</a> commercial featuring juicy meat and fresh produce. Commercial producers put in a lot of effort to create that perfect shot that makes viewers <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/brain-marijuana-munchies-science-pot-weed-2016-3">hungry</a>. Visual engineer, <a href="http://stevegiralt.com/" target="_blank">Steve Giralt</a>, shows the "behind-the-scenes" of creating a visually appealing burger sequence.</p>
<p><strong>Follow TI:</strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/techinsider/">On Facebook</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/burger-commercial-behind-the-scenes-video-2016-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-stars-advertiser-friendly-content-guidelines-2016-9A bunch of famous YouTubers are furious at YouTube right now — here's why (GOOG, GOOGL)http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-stars-advertiser-friendly-content-guidelines-2016-9
Thu, 01 Sep 2016 16:50:35 -0400Tim Mulkerin
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/57c8913409d2935f0f8b5c09-1536/screen%20shot%202016-09-01%20at%204.35.16%20pm.png" alt="Philip DeFranco YouTube" data-mce-source="Philip DeFranco/YouTube" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbph5or0NuM"></p><p>When you click on a YouTube video, there's a good chance you'll see a 15-second advertisement before it for Febreeze, Purina, or whatever.</p>
<p>But maybe you've noticed that only <em>some</em> videos have these pre-roll advertisements.</p>
<p>YouTubers have to manually opt-in to monetizing their channels, meaning that ads will roll before their videos and they'll get a portion of the ad revenue generated from people like you and me as we sit helplessly waiting for the "Skip Ad" option to appear.</p>
<p>In most cases, the amount of money this generates is pretty inconsequential, but for YouTube's most popular content creators, the amount of money their channels generate can be a significant portion of their income.</p>
<p>Starting Thursday morning, many YouTubers were finding that they'd received emails notifying them that one or more of their videos violate its "advertiser-friendly content guidelines." According to YouTube's terms of service, videos are considered ineligible for monetization if they are not "<a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6162278">advertiser-friendly</a>," which includes content that has any of the following qualities:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Sexually suggestive content, including partial nudity and sexual humor</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Violence, including display of serious injury and events related to violent extremism</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Inappropriate language, including harassment, profanity and vulgar language</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Promotion of drugs and regulated substances, including selling, use and abuse of such items</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Controversial or sensitive subjects and events, including subjects related to war, political conflicts, natural disasters and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It's crucial to note that YouTube offers a caveat to these rules, saying if a video contains inappropriate content, it may still be eligible for monetization if "the context is usually newsworthy or comedic and the creator’s intent is to inform or entertain (not offend or shock)."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">These guidelines have existed for a long time, but many YouTubers seem to be finding that more and more of their videos are being flagged for not meeting its guidelines. Or, rather, they're just talking about it more. As of Thursday afternoon, the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YouTubeIsOverParty?src=tren">#YouTubeIsOverParty</a> was trending in response to this controversy.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">YouTube insists it isn't flagging more videos than usual. In a statement provided to Business Insider, a YouTube spokesperson said, "While our policy of demonetizing videos due to advertiser-friendly concerns hasn’t changed, we’ve recently improved the notification and appeal process to ensure better communication to our creators."</span></p>
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The Vlogbrothers probably got the most hilarious demonetization notice. Shows the variety of content affected. <a href="https://t.co/lRrGkN5HSY">pic.twitter.com/lRrGkN5HSY</a> </p>— Hank Green (@hankgreen) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/771389308422922240">September 1, 2016</a>
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">One YouTuber, Philip DeFranco — who has over 4.5 million subscribers — called this de-monetization a "form of censorship" in his most recent video, hyperbolically titled, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbph5or0NuM">YouTube Is Shutting Down My Channel and I'm Not Sure What To Do</a>."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While YouTube is unequivocally <em>not</em> shutting down his channel, they did recently improve "the notification and appeal process to ensure better communication," according to the aforementioned statement provided to Business Insider, which is likely what's causing the increased conversation around the de-monetization of videos.</span></p>
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Seems like <a href="https://twitter.com/YouTube">@Youtube</a> will be stripping most of my advertising from now on. Oh well.<br><br>I'm not going to censor myself. <a href="https://t.co/a9upZh6eTY">pic.twitter.com/a9upZh6eTY</a> </p>— Philip DeFranco (@PhillyD) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/771026030442090496">August 31, 2016</a>
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Of course, since YouTube is a private platform, it has the right to regulate its content in any way that it chooses, but perhaps there's room for improvement in terms of how advertisers target their ads. Rather than step in on behalf of advertisers and forbid all age-restricted content from being monetized (as is currently the case), perhaps YouTube could improve the tools advertisers have at their disposal so that they can control what types of videos in which their ads appear.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In <a href="https://medium.com/@fwong/man-people-really-like-using-the-word-censorship-f54f2020454#.78or6co23">a post on Medium</a>, Freddie Wong — whose <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDsO-0Yo5zpJk575nKXgMVA">YouTube channel </a>has over 7.75 million subscribers — explains why he thinks crying "censorship" is the wrong approach, and calls instead for a more nuanced conversation around advertisement.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"It’s not just semantics — the flippant use of that word immediately degrades the conversation into platitudes when there is real nuanced discourse that should be happening, and that can lead to better informed creators and viewers," he said.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Until the situation develops further, YouTubers can appeal the decision to de-monetize their video if they feel it has been flagged unjustly. For prominent YouTuber Hank Green, that process seems to have already reversed the decision on one of his videos.</span></p>
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YouTube swiftly reinstated monetization on the Zataari video when we called them on it. But this whole situation is very very worrying. </p>— Hank Green (@hankgreen) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/771389763051859968">September 1, 2016</a>
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<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">We have reached out to YouTube for further comment.</span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-stars-advertiser-friendly-content-guidelines-2016-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musks-boring-company-selling-500-flamethrowers-tesla-musk-2018-1">Elon Musk's The Boring Company sold out of these $500 flamethrowers</a></p>